Chichibu Single Cask #1000 8 Years Old 2010 (Mizunara)

Cask number 1000 occupies a particular place in Chichibu's history, the distillery's own marking of a milestone in its single cask programme. Distilled in 2010 at the Venture Whisky site in Saitama and bottled in 2018 at 8 years old, this single cask was released to the European market at cask strength.

The maturation vessel is a single mizunara cask, Japanese oak that is notoriously porous and slow to give, but rewards patience with a signature register of sandalwood, temple-wood incense and a soft coconut-oil depth. Eight years is enough time for the wood to make a real impression, and the distillery's characteristic fresh-fruit new make provides contrast to the dry, resinous mizunara influence. At 62.2% the spirit is vibrant and full, framing the exotic oak in the brighter fruit tones that Chichibu typically delivers.